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CAMPUS NEWS
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, April 27, 2022
State budget includes HOPE scholarship increase, ‘unprecedented’ campus investments DANIEL DASSOW Campus News Editor
Every year, the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship opens the door for thousands of students in Tennessee to attend college affordably by directing proceeds from the state lottery to public institutions of higher learning. On April 21, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a $52.8 billion budget for the 20222023 fiscal year which includes around $217 million for UT Knoxville and budget increases across the UT System, including the largest increase in the HOPE Scholarship since the program was founded. The scholarship will increase to $4,500 per year for full-time eligible freshman and sophomores and $5,700 for juniors and seniors at four-year public universities and colleges. The award is currently valued at $3,500 per year for eligible freshmen and sophomores and $4,500 for juniors and seniors. UT System President Randy Boyd said the increase would help UT grow further in its educational mission, adding onto an extension of the UT Promise scholarship in the fall semester. “We are incredibly thankful for Gov. Bill Lee
and our Tennessee General Assembly’s continued leadership in supporting higher education. These investments will support our mission to serve all Tennesseans and beyond through education, discovery and outreach, and further our ability to address the state’s grand challenges,” Boyd said.
We are seeing unprecedented growth on our campus ... It has never been a better time to be a Volunteer. DONDE PLOWMAN CHANCELLOR
The budget also includes a 4% salary pool for higher education employees in the state, $83 million to expand facilities for the Haslam College of Business and $500,000 to fund minority engineering scholarships at UT Knoxville and UT Chattanooga. Gov. Lee announced the particulars of the
budget in his 2022 State of the State Address on Jan. 31, where he highlighted $6 million to support the planned Institute for American Civics at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. The UT System statement on the budget said the institute “will support and enhance statewide efforts to highlight the role American institutions play in resolving conflict, advancing human dignity and making public policy.” The budget allocates $72 million to fully fund and complete the UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII), a strategic research and work partnership between the university and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “UT-ORII is now positioned to sustainably bring together world-leading scientists and engineers with students and faculty under one umbrella to provide innovative education, training and workforce development in areas of vital importance to Tennessee and our nation,” the UT System said in a release. In a statement concerning the budget, Chancellor Donde Plowman expressed gratitude to state and UT leadership for advocating for the “unprecedented investment.” At a time when UT is set to break a record for most firstyear students for the second consecutive year, Plowman touted the university’s growth. “We are seeing unprecedented growth on
our campus. Our faculty are being recognized for their extraordinary work in their research and their classrooms. With the support of our faculty and staff, our students are getting degrees, opportunities and accolades. It has never been a better time to be a Volunteer. I appreciate each of you and the work you do,” Plowman said. The budget caused controversy over $500 million in bonds to help pay for a new domed stadium in Nashville for the Tennessee Titans, which was the result of heavy deliberation between the House and the Senate. The rest of the roughly $2 billion budget for the stadium will be covered by the Titans, the NFL and Metro Nashville, according to the Tennessean. The Senate removed Gov. Lee’s proposed $200 million to relocate schools out of floodplains amid increased concern for environmental disasters in the state. Lawmakers also deleted an item in the governor’s budget that would have made Juneteenth into a state holiday. More information about the specifics of the budget on UT campuses can be found on the UT System News website. The budget has been sent to Gov. Lee for his signature.
2022 Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement (EURēCA)
26th annual showcase
The Office of Undergraduate Research hosted around 1,000 students to present original research and creative projects in the Student Union Ballroom on April 25, 2022. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon
Sharing a year of work Eleni Golloshi, an undergraduate research assistant in cardiovascular biomechanics, presents at EURēCA on Monday, April 25, 2022. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon
